Government: Page 69


  • Amazon's new fitness wearable Halo debuts
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Survey casts doubt on utility of wearable devices in healthcare

    Forrester's report, based on interviews with doctors, patients and vendors, suggests data gaps and physician skepticism of the popular products is too high for widespread adoption, although design changes could remedy that.

    By Ron Shinkman • April 22, 2021
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    Drew Angerer via Getty Images
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    ACA navigator funds get massive boost to record level

    The agency also said about 12 million people enrolled in an Affordable Care Act plan during the 2021 open enrollment period, a 5% increase from the year prior.

    By April 22, 2021
  • A picture of the exterior of the US Department of Health and Human Services. In front of the building is a black sign designating the building's name.
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Value-based care at 'critical juncture,' new CMMI chief says

    Even though some testing payment models have been delayed or discarded, CMMI's new leader said the agency remains committed to finding models that reward value not volume.

    By April 20, 2021
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    J&J to resume vaccine rollout in Europe after regulator says benefits outweigh risks

    The EMA, however, recommended a warning be added to highlight a rare but serious side effect. Regulators in the U.S. are expected to soon make a similar decision.

    By Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • Updated April 20, 2021
  • Humana
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    Courtesy of Humana
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    Humana nets nearly $200M in overpayments, OIG audit finds

    The watchdog said the payer submitted documentation that inaccurately showed some of its Medicare Advantage members were sicker than they actually were.

    By April 20, 2021
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    Permission granted by IQVIA
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    Healthcare employment steadily rebounding though hospitals left out

    Hospital employment has sunk for three consecutive months, according to data from the Altarum Institute, and is down 37,000 jobs since the end of last year.

    By Ron Shinkman • April 19, 2021
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    Fotolia
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    Advocate Aurora Health's new investment unit is on the hunt for deals

    The Midwestern giant joins other nonprofits in launching a for-profit unit to diversify its revenue streams. Some critics question whether the strategy fits with the mission and perks enjoyed by not-for-profit entities.

    By April 19, 2021
  • The Capitol building on a rainy D.C. day
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    E.A. Crunden/Healthcare Dive
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    HHS nominees get smooth confirmation hearing

    The scene was a contrast to the sometimes heated questioning of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who was eventually confirmed by a narrow margin.

    By April 16, 2021
  • Johnson & Johnson vaccine vials against the COVID-19 coronavirus are seen at the Klerksdorp Hospital as South Africa proceeds with its inoculation campaign on February 18, 2021
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    Getty Images
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    The US paused use of J&J's vaccine. What happens next?

    A call by regulators to stop J&J vaccinations won't dramatically disrupt supply in the U.S. But changes in labeling are possible, as is a renewed debate over vaccine hesitancy.

    By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler , Jonathan Gardner • April 14, 2021
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    Jon Cherry via Getty Images
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    CDC panel delays decision on J&J vaccine, extending pause over rare side effect

    Advisers to the agency agreed to wait for more data before recommending new guidance, but aim to reconvene quickly to decide whether J&J vaccinations should be resumed, and for whom.

    By Jonathan Gardner • April 14, 2021
  • Medicare sequester cut pause extended through 2021

    The 2% cuts were first put on hold more than a year ago through federal coronavirus relief legislation. To pay for the extension, the new bill states the cuts will increase in 2030.

    By Hailey Mensik • April 14, 2021
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    Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
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    Lawmakers urge HHS to conduct 'vigorous oversight' of hospital price posts after reports of noncompliance

    Hospitals are now required to publicly post the prices they negotiate with insurers online, but noncompliance is common. A bipartisan group from the House voiced their discontent in a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

    By April 14, 2021
  • Surprise Billing

    Patients hit with surprise medical bills paid ER docs 10 times more than others

    The findings published in Health Affairs suggest why some ER groups resist coming in-network with insurers: They stand to collect more in revenue if they stay outside a network, posing a financial risk to patients.

    By April 13, 2021
  • A still of COVID-19 vaccine vials from Johnson & Johnson going through production
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    Permission granted by Johnson & Johnson
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    US calls for pause in J&J coronavirus vaccine rollout after rare blood clotting cases

    The FDA and CDC recommended halting vaccinations while they investigate six cases of unusual blood clots in women given the company's shot.

    By Ben Fidler , Ned Pagliarulo • Updated April 13, 2021
  • AstraZeneca technicians work on manufacturing a vaccine
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    Courtesy of AstraZeneca
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    Researchers lay out hypothesis for rare side effect linked to AstraZeneca vaccine

    EU regulators have reiterated the benefits of the shot outweigh the risks, but the safety concerns are another hurdle to the vaccine's rollout in Europe. 

    By Ned Pagliarulo , Ben Fidler • April 9, 2021
  • Medtech industry, surgeons push Medicare to pull back prior authorization rules

    The medtech lobby joined 39 stakeholders in warning CMS that including cervical fusion with disc removal and implanted spinal neurostimulators as new service categories will delay patient access to medically necessary procedures.

    By Greg Slabodkin • April 8, 2021
  • An AstraZeneca scientists involved in vaccine research
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    Courtesy of AstraZeneca
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    AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine possibly linked to rare blood clots, EMA says

    Europe's drug regulator affirmed the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks, but recommended the shot's label be updated to warn of the newly established side effect.

    By Ben Fidler • Updated April 7, 2021
  • Urgent care centers draw some ER visits but associated with higher spending overall

    The findings published in Health Affairs may suggest patients are going to the centers instead of more appropriate and lower cost settings like a primary care office or virtual visit.

    By April 7, 2021
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    Nonprofit hospitals spent less on charity care than for-profit, government facilities: Health Affairs

    The research is likely to garner attention as skeptics have questioned whether nonprofit organizations dole out enough charity care to justify the tax breaks they receive.

    By April 6, 2021
  • Black patients far more likely to experience discrimination when seeking care: study

    Reports of discrimination based on race, ethnicity, disability, gender, sexual orientation or health condition were even higher for low-income Black adults and Black women, according to a new study by the Urban Institute.

    By Ron Shinkman • April 5, 2021
  • The FDA logo on a glass pane at the agency's campus in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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    Jacob Bell/Healthcare Dive
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    FDA warns of patient deaths tied to reusable urological endoscopes

    The agency is sounding the alarm after receiving more than 450 adverse event reports in four years tying patient infections to the devices, as it continues to track contamination issues in duodenoscopes.

    By Susan Kelly • Updated April 5, 2021
  • Shifting payer mix puts 340B hospitals at risk of losing eligibility

    AHA wants HHS to waive certain eligibility requirements to allow continued access to the program during the public health emergency, the group wrote in a letter to Secretary Xavier Becerra.

    By Hailey Mensik • April 1, 2021
  • Healthcare Doctor One year into COVID-19 crisis
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    Adeline Kon/Healthcare Dive
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    A year into the pandemic, advanced cancer diagnoses are rising

    Research from radiation oncologists and molecular pathologists add to evidence showing that many people skipped getting cancer screenings in 2020 as they avoided going to the doctor to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection.

    By Susan Kelly • March 31, 2021
  • FTC challenges Illumina-Grail deal, putting $7B merger in jeopardy

    The commission said the union will "harm competition in the U.S. market for life-saving multi-cancer early detection tests." Illumina is opposing the action, but Wall Street analysts see no “easy fixes."

    By Nick Paul Taylor • March 31, 2021
  • The Joel Soloman Federal Building and Courthouse in Chattanooga
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    The image by Original image from Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress collection is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Medical liability insurance premiums rising after stable decade, AMA report finds

    While providers grapple with the pandemic's toll on finances, some can face liability premiums of $200,000 a year, according to the analysis sponsored by the doctors' lobby.

    By Hailey Mensik • March 30, 2021